Someone with a seeded 2017 iMac Pro with Pro Vega 64 GPU posted their Geekbench 4 OpenCL Compute Score in the Geekbench Browser Database. That inspired us to compare that result to other Macs running the desktop version of the RX Vega 64.

Once we have access to the iMac Pro, we will do extensive benchmarking. Meanwhile, here are some "Pure GPU" benchmarks we ran with the RX Vega 64 installed in two different Mac Pros. The native High Sierra drivers for the Pro Vega in the iMac Pro open the way for the desktop version, RX Vega, to become essentially an Apple 'blessed' GPU upgrade for Mac Pro towers and (with the help of an eGPU box) Mac Pro cylinders.

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Using the Candle project, we measured how fast it could playback the 117 frame video clip while applying one node of noise reduction. GPU Processing mode was set to OpenCL for all GPUs and we added CUDA processing mode for the NVIDIA GPUs. (HIGHER Frames per Second = FASTER)

WHAT DID WE LEARN?You may be planning to buy an iMac Pro with Pro Vega 64 GPU. However for a fraction of the price, you can upgrade your existing Mac with an AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 or 64. The beauty of this upgrade is that no hacks or firmware flashing is needed since it uses the native Radeon drivers that come with macOS High Sierra.

Depending on your model of Mac, you may also need an eGPU Box to connect with the Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 port. If you decide to buy the iMac Pro at a later date, you can always use the RX Vega and the eGPU box to add a second GPU.

As a reference point on performance progress, I added the last official 'Mac Edition' GPUs, the Radeon HD 7950 and GeForce GTX 680.

The only gotcha I see with the Vega is if you need CUDA support. AMD GPUs do not 'speak' CUDA. Here's an example of a "CUDA only" pro app to hammer home that point: